Xestia praevia
Encyclopedia
Xestia praevia is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It is found in Canada
(New Brunswick
, Quebec
, Manitoba
, Saskatchewan
, Alberta
and British Columbia
) south to California
. It is part of the elimata species group. Three of the species in this group (Xestia praevia, Xestia elimata
and Xestia badicollis
) have no significant difference in both genitals and DNA, suggesting they may be in fact one species.
This wingspan
is about 32 mm. The moth flies from July to August depending on the location.
The larva
feed on Pinus ponderosa.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Noctuidae
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....
family. It is found in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
) south to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It is part of the elimata species group. Three of the species in this group (Xestia praevia, Xestia elimata
Xestia elimata
The Southern Variable Dart or Variable Climbing Caterpillar when referring to the caterpillar is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in the Eastern part of North America, including Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, New Jersey, Maryland and New England. It is part of the elimata species...
and Xestia badicollis
Xestia badicollis
The Northern Variable Dart, Northern Conifer Dart or White Pine Cutworm when referring to the larval stage is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Nova Scotia to North Carolina, west to Missouri and Ontario. It is part of the elimata species group...
) have no significant difference in both genitals and DNA, suggesting they may be in fact one species.
This wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is about 32 mm. The moth flies from July to August depending on the location.
The larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
feed on Pinus ponderosa.